True Confessions...

...I have never seen a World Series. 

The snarky among you might mention that I am, after all, a Cub fan...

But I'm going to watch tonight; we'll see if the "family curse" holds, because my granny used to not watch. Yep. NOT watch. Because she said when she DID watch, they lost. 

I'm hoping the curse isn't really a curse. 

So the first thing that strikes me is the number of people IN THE STANDS who choose to watch the game through their stinkin' cell phones.

People. You are AT THE WORLD SERIES. Put down the phone... 

Most of the time we watch sports on TV we either watch for the commercials (Super Bowl) or to see who's singing the National Anthem and how badly they botch it. Baseball - tonight's game, for example - doesn't start with the anthem. They just started right in.

Well, I don't know if my heart can stand this game!

Knitting...

The sweater continues apace. I'm almost to the point of putting the left side onto the scrap yarn so I can continue with the right front and the rest of the right sleeve. It's progress. It's buttonholes, so on we go. 

Theoretically, I should be practicing my guitar. Christmas is coming... But I'm cranking away at the blog and then working on the sweater. I can't decide my next project. Oh, I know I'm going to shoot for a hat, at least. Maybe socks, if I can find a toddler sock pattern. 

But I need a project for me. I mean, aside from finishing the Shape-It scarf. I have to Stash Dive, though. Yes, I have yarn that I've purchased, but I really need to get into the stash and start some of those projects that have been sitting there for a while. 

We shall see. 

Socks, definitely, but I want something to wear other than on my feet. Or on my neck. Kinda tired of scarves, too (sorry, Shape-It - I consider you lace, not a "scarf" that'll keep me warm with a jacket).

Reading...

I've started "The Citadel." It's an oldie but a goodie. Yes, I have 2 books going, but that's not odd for me. It's a smaller book, so I can drag it to work and read on my (ha) lunch breaks. 

I try to take a "computer break" during the day; I work on computers all day and I get tired of looking at the screen. I usually try to read a "real" book, though I have used my Kindle. I get a lot of my books from the second-hand store, and that makes it easier for me to stay within my "book budget."

Smoothie...

So I made a smoothie with garden kale. Surprisingly, I was unable to find Haas avocados, so I bought something called a Florida avocado. And it stunk... I mean it wasn't ripe, and it felt like it was frozen solid sometime during transit. I had to skip the avocado in my smoothie. I was a bit concerned because it was very kale-heavy, so I added 2 bananas, a pear, a cucumber and an apple. 

As you can see by the picture, the Florida avocado has a smoother skin and it's HUGE. The gal at the Jewel said it was "just like" the Haas avocado, but from what I've read, the calories and the fat content are not alike. Aside from the size (which is the issue with the calories), I'm not all that sure I'd use it again. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to use it at all... It wasn't ripe, and I had to have Hubby help cut the blasted thing. And of course, if they're not ripe, they're not going to get any better when they're cut. I tasted it, and it was like eating a green banana. Urgh. 

I don't know - maybe it would've been better if the thing was actually ripe. Or maybe I should have just sprung for the Haas avocados, but due to a shortage, they were really pricey. 

So in order to "save the smoothie," I ended up adding honey. I rarely add sweeteners because I don't think you need them. But this one needed honey. 

And more. So I rooted in the freezer and found a small bag of blueberries. That did it. It looks a little "dark" but it tastes pretty good. It's a little more liquid without the creaminess of the avocado, but it's something I'd do again...if I can remember what it was I actually did!

The garden is still belching kale, and the carrots have to be pulled up yet. We may yet have an experiment with kale soup. Or kale pesto - that sounds good. While I like my sauteed kale, I'm a little bored with it. I have to think of something else to do with kale that's savory. I have to think about it a bit. 

Random Picture...

From last fall, at the park. It was a lovely afternoon, and we took the girls for a long walk. The colors were at their peak and the light was perfect. So far this year? I'm not sure how the colors will go. It was an odd summer, and it was on the wet side too. Our backyard tree hasn't decided if it's going to turn color yet, and the front yard tree is still pretty bright green. Mr. K's birch tree is a waterfall of green and gold; but so far, nothing else is moving. 

All I can do is wait and see what happens in the next few weeks. I'm afraid it's going to be a "blink and miss it" kind of fall. 

It's All Coming Along...

...well, more or less. Honestly, I still have very little time, and life is still chaotic. 

But so it goes. (Thanks, Kurt Vonnegut. I needed that line.)

Today, you could truly tell where we were in the lunar cycle. I spent most of the day defusing blow-ups. Apparently, my "counselor" mode was in demand a lot. Let's just say you can tell that Monday is the Full Moon. 

Knitting...

Because of the crummy nature of my week, I haven't picked up the needles much. But the Pumpkin Baby Sweater is coming along. As you can see, the sleeves are under construction and it's progressing nicely. I can knit this and read, so I've caught up with my "Jean's Knitting" blog, and I have yet to figure out where I left off with the Yarn Harlot. That will come. I miss being able to keep up with my favorite bloggers, so I have to get back to that. 

I'm headed out to the "new" Wool & Company with my friend Roberta tomorrow, after I teach my last outdoor yoga class of the year. I may find some different buttons. I have planned some brown giraffe buttons. But my friend who's getting this LOVES elephants. So if I find elephants, that's what I'm getting. Or maybe pumpkins? Who knows? I might also drag some of the wool + acrylic yarn out of stash and do another sweater, if I get the gumption, and stripe the next one. From the twins, I have a brighter "traffic cone" orange plus a yellow. That combo could be cute with either a number of stripes, or one wide one across the shoulder area. Babies are boxy anyway, so doing that, with a 6- or 7-row stripe, could be adorable. 

So I've linked the Wool and Company website above, and while the site says "under construction," I will comment: This is NIGHT and DAY different from the old shop. Not that I didn't love the original, but the new owner has breathed a new spark of life into the place,which it sorely needed. I can't wait to get there! And Roberta's always good for a road trip! There's a pub next door with the best food, too. And frankly: I need the diversion. (Shhhhhhhhhh - I don't really need any yarn, but you never know...)

In fact, I should be knitting, but I wanted to get all of this down on the blog before the weekend got away from me, as the weekends are wont to do lately. 

Hillary...

Hillary is being blamed by some folks for her HUSBAND'S ways. And let's be clear: Bill isn't the one running for president this time. 

That attitude of blaming Hillary for Bill's transgressions is wrong on about a zillion levels. And like I said, I'm no Hillary fan, but I've been thinking about this for a while now. Even before The Drumpf opened his yap. 

My question is this: Why did she stay? 

Seriously. Sit there and think about this for a moment. Why did she stay? It's not 1818. She's an extremely qualified woman. She's certainly well-educated. She's got skills. She's got money. What kept her? 

Did she blame herself for some reason? Did she think she "wasn't enough" because Bill couldn't keep himself out of the way of other women? 

Or...and this totally just occurred to me... Bill is enormously charismatic. People (I'm told) love him. Even a friend of mine who's a tried-and-true cynic said that, having met Bill in person, he does "take up the room" and she also said, "I was about 10 months pregnant and he looked at me and spoke to me as if I was the only person in that room at that moment, and gave me the impression that what I had to say mattered to him." 

THAT, folks? THAT is charisma. And I'm not thinking Hillary has a ton of that. At least that's not how she comes across. 

From the last debate, with the Orange Menace stalking her, I can certainly say that she's enormously focused, and she stayed on her message. Well, heck - she just gave him the rope to hang himself. It was almost too easy. 

But my question still remains. Why does a woman stay, especially given her "Tammy Wynette" comments in Bill's first election campaign. Especially given that she could indeed write her own ticket. 

Why? 

It's a good question. 

Michelle...

And then there's Michelle Obama. I thought: This woman has TWO Ivy-League degrees. She's raising her family -- her GIRLS -- in a fishbowl. 

And for eight years -- EIGHT. YEARS. She has been called everything from a "monkey" to a "man." 

Say what you will. That speech was powerful. She meant it. And I'm sure the comments from The Drumpf hurt. Because even while you're telling people, "Hey, I don't pay attention to that stuff," you're still a human. And on some level, that kind of hate and vituperation has got to sting. Even if you're not actively reading it or hearing it - you know it's out there. 

Would you be able to stomach that level of intense acrimony, day in and day out? Would you be able to function in a room full of people knowing that there are other people who'd love to see you fall? Would cackle in glee if you made a misstep or "had a funny look" on your face? Where your every choice is categorized, surgically dissected, scrutinized and criticized?

I know I wouldn't. 

The Election...

It doesn't matter, in my opinion, what your party affiliation. You have got to understand that we have descended to a new low. We aren't listening to a "truth-teller" in The Drumpf. We're listening to a charlatan. 

And it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. This election is important on more than just a national level. It's even more important than the "down ticket" mentality of "vote for the people in the local elections even if you can't tolerate either of the presidential candidates" we hear from so many people. Yes, those down-ballot elections are vital, but we have more to think about.

It's important to us as human beings. It's important to women. It's important to our kids and our grandkids. 

We need to not screw this one up, people. 

But we can't be a single-issue voter. We can't just listen to those folks who parrot our own "beliefs" and we must - we MUST - not mistake our "beliefs" as "facts." Because facts and beliefs are two entirely different things. 

I believe the Earth is round. Science (a/k/a FACT) proves me right. There's photographic evidence from many sources to prove that we do, indeed, live on a blue marble in the middle of the known universe. 

I believe that I make the best potica in the world. There are no FACTS to back this up. And there are at least a couple thousand others in the world who believe that their potica (even with the abominations of raisins and chocolate) are "the best." But they as well have no FACTS to back them up. Their families - like mine - will cheerfully shout from hill and dale that they're the best, but that doesn't make ANY of us right. 

While those are two wildly odd examples, they are good ones. We as voters have a tremendously important right to exercise this November. 

And it's up to us to educate ourselves thoroughly on the issues AND the candidates. And get this one done correctly. 

Our world depends on it. 

Baseball...

Let's go Cubs!! I'm so excited! I haven't watched any games. This is a family legacy. Just like my Cub fandom - legacy says that if I watch a game, they'll lose. My granny said so. 

It's this way. I have been a Cub fan for my entire life. I have a Ron Santo jersey that I wore to church last week. I was a reader, so everyone saw me coming and going...and even the priest said, "Preach it, Sister!" One of our fellow choir members complimented me on "the Holy Raiment of Our People." 

The only next best thing would be a bona fide Cubs jacket. I've wanted one for ages...

Anyway, back to why I'm a Cub fan. Because of WJOL and my great-grandma. My great-grandma (the keeper of the aforementioned PERFECT potica recipe, by the way...) came to this country as a young woman and had to learn English. She studied for her citizenship test, but also, in order to learn more, she listened to the Cub games on the radio. WJOL was our local station (still is, but I don't listen to it a lot). So I grew up, helping her in the kitchen, learning Croatian songs, learning how to crochet, and how to cook, and listening to the Cub games. 

(OK, so I just noticed the typos in the graphic... Yikes...)

And two of my favorite players were Ron Santo and Greg Maddux. I think that Joe Maddon has hit on the formula; I think Theo Epstein has Maddon in the right place. And I think the team has the right attitude. Dusty Baker wasn't our guy. Not that he's not a good manager. But this combo of owners + manager + talent... along with a stellar work ethic and team that just meshes? It's a keeper. 

I'll be following along in the paper. And when they (I initially typed "if") get to the final game of the World Series, I may risk Granny's Heavenly wrath and watch it. On pins and needles, though...just in case. 

Random Picture...

So yeah. The week sucked. 

And this is what I came home to. Hubby, making Honey Garlic Salmon with boiled parsley-potatoes. 

This and my dogs greeting me with wild enthusiasm made for a lovely end to a stinking day. 

Hopefully, the weekend is calm. Hopefully, you all will also have a great weekend!